A study on the treatment effects of Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharide on non-alcoholic fatty liver in mice by modulating gut microbiota.

The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Crataegus pinnatifida polysaccharide (CPP) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. The findings demonstrated that CPP improved free fatty acid (FFA)-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells and effectively reduced liver steatosis and epididymal fat weight in NAFLD mice, as well as decreased serum levels of TG, TC, AST, ALT, and LDL-C. Furthermore, CPP exhibited inhibitory effects on the expression of fatty acid synthesis genes FASN and ACC while activating the expression of fatty acid oxidation genes CPT1A and PPARα. Additionally, CPP reversed disturbances in intestinal microbiota composition caused by HFD consumption. CPP decreased the firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, increased Akkermansia abundance, and elevated levels of total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content specifically butyric acid and acetic acid. Our results concluded that CPP may intervene in the development of NAFLD by regulating of intes-tinal microbiota imbalance and SCFAs production. Our study highlights that CPP has a potential to modulate lipid-related pathways via alterations to gut microbiome composition thereby ex-erting inhibitory effects on obesity and NAFLD development.

Shade responses and resistant mechanisms in Spatholobus suberectus.

The medicinal plant Spatholobus suberectus Dunn is easily exposed to shade stress during growth, but its shade responses and shade stress resistant mechanisms have not been clarified. In this study, shade treatments including four attenuated sunlight intensities (100%, 60%, 40%, and 10%) and three shade durations (30 d, 45 d, and 60 d) were applied to S. suberectus. The shade-induced morphological indicators, phytohormonal regulations, metabolic flavonoids contents, transcriptomic flavonoid pathway gene expressions, and stress physiological changes of S. suberectus were analyzed. The putative promoter cis-regulatory elements (CREs) of 18 flavonoid biosynthetic pathway genes were identified. Results showed the stem growth indicators of S. suberectus were better at 40% light intensity. Phytohormones were involved in the shade-induced responses. Short-term shade (30 d) increased total flavonoids, gallated catechins and especially epigallocatechin gallate contents and favored for boosting medicinal value. Long-term shade (45 d, 60 d) tended to decrease flavonoids. The shade-induced flavonoids changes were attributed to their corresponding biosynthesizing genes expression variations. The high antioxidant capacity and the presence of phytohormone-, stress-, and development-related CREs provided the basis for stress resistance. In conclusion, the multiple responses under shade and the CREs analysis elucidated S. suberectus' shade tolerance.

Proteomics and network pharmacology of Ganshu Nuodan capsules in the prevention of alcoholic liver disease.

Introduction: Ganshu Nuodan is a liver-protecting dietary supplement composed of Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) spore powder, Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr. (P. montana), Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza) and Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge. (A. membranaceus). However, its pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of action remain unknown. Methods: A mouse model of acute alcohol liver disease (ALD) induced by intragastric administration of 50% alcohol was used to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of Ganshu Nuodan. The chemical constituents of Ganshu Nuodan were comprehensively identified by UPLC-QTOF/MS, and then its pharmacodynamic material basis and potential mechanism of action were explored by proteomics and network pharmacology. Results: Ganshu Nuodan could ameliorate acute ALD, which is mainly manifested in the significant reduction of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in liver and the remarkably increase of glutathione (GSH) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver. Totally 76 chemical constituents were identified from Ganshu Nuodan by UPLC-QTOF/MS, including 21 quinones, 18 flavonoids, 11 organic acids, 7 terpenoids, 5 ketones, 4 sterols, 3 coumarins and 7 others. Three key signaling pathways were identified via proteomics studies, namely Arachidonic acid metabolism, Retinol metabolism, and HIF-1 signaling pathway respectively. Combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking, six key targets were subsequently obtained, including Ephx2, Lta4h, Map2k1, Stat3, Mtor and Dgat1. Finally, these six key targets and their related components were verified by molecular docking, which could explain the material basis of the hepatoprotective effect of Ganshu Nuodan. Conclusion: Ganshu Nuodan can protect acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice by inhibiting oxidative stress, lipid accumulation and apoptosis. Our study provides a scientific basis for the hepatoprotective effect of Ganshu Nuodan in acute ALD mice and supports its traditional application.

Genome-wide analysis of the R2R3-MYB gene family in Spatholobus suberectus and identification of its function in flavonoid biosynthesis.

Spatholobus suberectus Dunn (S. suberectus), a plant species within the Leguminosae family, has a long history of use in traditional medicines. The dried stem of S. suberectus exhibits various pharmacological activities because it contains various flavonoids. Diverse functions in plants are associated with the R2R3-MYB gene family, including the biosynthesis of flavonoids. Nonetheless, its role remains unelucidated in S. suberectus. Therefore, the newly sequenced S. suberectus genome was utilized to conduct a systematic genome-wide analysis of the R2R3-MYB gene family. The resulting data identified 181 R2R3-SsMYB genes in total, which were then categorized by phylogenetic analysis into 35 subgroups. Among the R2R3-SsMYB genes, 174 were mapped to 9 different chromosomes, and 7 genes were not located on any chromosome. Moreover, similarity in terms of exon-intron structures and motifs was exhibited by most genes in the same subgroup. The expansion of the gene family was primarily driven by segmental duplication events, as demonstrated by collinearity analysis. Notably, most of the duplicated genes underwent purifying selection, which was depicted through the Ka/Ks analysis. In this study, 22 R2R3-SsMYB genes were shown to strongly influence the level of flavonoids. The elevated expression level of these genes was depicted in the tissues with flavonoid accumulation in contrast with other tissues through qRT-PCR data. The resulting data elucidate the structural and functional elements of R2R3-SsMYB genes and present genes that could potentially be utilized for enhancing flavonoid biosynthesis in S. suberectus.

Full-length transcriptome analysis of Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC.

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC. (Z. nitidum) is a type of Chinese Dao-di herb, also called Liangmianzhen, which is widely used to treat arthralgia, rheumatic arthralgia, and stomach pain. However, genomic resources for Z. nitidum are still scarce. This study provides transcriptomic resources for Z. nitidum by applying single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology. In total, 456,109 circular consensus sequencing (CCS) reads were generated with a mean length of 2,216 bp from Z. nitidum roots, old stems, young branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Of these total reads, 353,932 were full-length nonchimeric (FLNC) reads with an average length of 1,996 bp. A total of 16,163 transcripts with a mean length of 1,171 bp were acquired. Of these transcripts, 14,231 (88%) were successfully annotated using public databases. Across all the 16,163 transcripts, we identified 6,255 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and 22,780 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Furthermore, 3,482 transcription factors were identified. Among the SSR loci, 1-3 nucleotide repeats were dominant, occupying 99.36% of the total SSR loci, with mono-, di-, and tri-nucleotide repeats accounting for 61.80%, 19.89%, and 5.02% of the total SSR loci, respectively. A total of 36 out of 100 randomly selected primer pairs were verified to be positive, 20 of which showed polymorphism. These findings enrich the genetic resources available for facilitating future studies and research on relevant topics such as population genetics in Z. nitidum.

Maackiain inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by inhibiting the MAPK/Ras signaling pathway.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the third most common malignancy with a high recurrence and metastasis rate in South China. Natural compounds extracted from traditional Chinese herbal medicines have been developed and utilized for the treatment of a variety of cancers with modest properties and slight side effects. Maackiain (MA) is a type of flavonoid that was first isolated from leguminous plants, and it has been reported to relieve various nervous system disorders and exert anti-allergic as well as anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we demonstrated that MA inhibited proliferation, arrested cell cycle and induced apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE1 and CNE2 cells in vitro and in vivo. The expression of the related proteins associated with these processes were consistent with the above effects. Moreover, transcriptome sequencing and subsequent Western blot experiments revealed that inhibition of the MAPK/Ras pathway may be responsible to the anti-tumor effect of MA on NPC cells. Therefore, the effects of MA and an activator of this pathway, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), alone or combination, were investigated. The results showed TBHQ neutralized the inhibitory effects of MA. These data suggest that MA exerts its anti-tumor effect by inhibiting the MAPK/Ras signaling pathway and it has the potential to become a treatment for patients with NPC.

Study of Xuanhuang Pill in protecting against alcohol liver disease using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry and network pharmacology.

Introduction: Xuanhuang Pill (XHP) is a traditional Chinese medicine oral formula composed of 10 herbs. This study aims to verify the hepatoprotective activity of XHP and explain its possible mechanism. Methods: The hepatoprotective activity of XHP was evaluated by constructing a mouse model of alcoholic liver disease, and the mechanism of XHP was preliminarily explained by utilizing ultra-performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS), proteomics and network pharmacology. Results: The current study demonstrated that treatment with XHP ameliorated acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice by significantly reducing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and triglycerides (TGs) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Remarkably, treatment also increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) content. UPLC-QTOF/MS, 199 compounds were identified as within the make-up of the XHP. Network pharmacology analysis showed that 103 targets regulated by 163 chemical components may play an important role in the protective liver effect mediated by XHP. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis suggest that the HIF-1, FoxO, PI3K-Akt, insulin, and thyroid hormone signaling pathways are key modulators of XHP's effects. Finally, eight key targets including Mapk1, Mapk3, Akt1, Map2k1, Pik3ca, Pik3cg, Raf1, and Prkca were verified by molecular docking and proteomics analysis, which provide insight into the hepatoprotective effect observed with XHP treatment. Conclusion: In summary, these results improved upon knowledge of the chemical composition and the potential mechanisms of hepatoprotective action of oral XHP treatment, providing foundational support for this formulation as a viable therapeutic option for alcoholic liver disease.

Fecal microbiota transplantation attenuates Escherichia coli infected outgrowth by modulating the intestinal microbiome.

BACKGROUND: Given the crucial role of gut microbiota in animal and human health, studies on modulating the intestinal microbiome for therapeutic purposes have grasped a significant attention, of which the role of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been emphasized. METHODS: In the current study, we evaluated the effect of FMT on gut functions in Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection by using mice model. Moreover, we also investigated the subsequently dependent variables of infection, i.e., body weight, mortality, intestinal histopathology, and the expression changes in tight junction proteins (TJPs). RESULTS: The FMT effectively decreased weight loss and mortality to a certain extent with the restoration of intestinal villi that resulted in high histological scores for jejunum tissue damage (p < 0.05). The effect of FMT on alleviating the reduction of intestinal TJPs was also proved by immunohistochemistry analysis and mRNA expression levels. Moreover, the abundance of health-threatening bacteria, belonging to phylum Proteobacteria, family Enterobacteriaceae and Tannerellaceae, genus Escherichia-Shigella, Sphingomonas, Collinsella, etc., were significantly increased, whereas beneficial bacteria, belonging to phylum Firmicutes, family Lactobacillaceae, genus Lactobacillus were decreased in the gut of infected mice. Furthermore, we sought to investigate the association of clinical symptoms with FMT treatment with modulation in gut microbiota. According to beta diversity, the microbial community of gut microbiota results reflected the similarities between non-infected and FMT groups. The improvement of the intestinal microbiota in FMT group was characterized by the significant high level of beneficial microorganisms with the synergistic decrease of Escherichia-Shigella, Acinetobacter, and other taxa. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest a beneficial host-microbiome correlation following fecal microbiota transplanatation for controlling gut infections and pathogens-associated diseases.

Biochar and organic fertilizer drive the bacterial community to improve the productivity and quality of Sophora tonkinensis in cadmium-contaminated soil.

Excessive Cd accumulation in soil reduces the production of numerous plants, such as Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep., which is an important and widely cultivated medicinal plant whose roots and rhizomes are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Applying a mixture of biochar and organic fertilizers improved the overall health of the Cd-contaminated soil and increased the yield and quality of Sophora. However, the underlying mechanism between this mixed fertilization and the improvement of the yield and quality of Sophora remains uncovered. This study investigated the effect of biochar and organic fertilizer application (BO, biochar to organic fertilizer ratio of 1:2) on the growth of Sophora cultivated in Cd-contaminated soil. BO significantly reduced the total Cd content (TCd) in the Sophora rhizosphere soil and increased the soil water content, overall soil nutrient levels, and enzyme activities in the soil. Additionally, the α diversity of the soil bacterial community had been significantly improved after BO treatment. Soil pH, total Cd content, total carbon content, and dissolved organic carbon were the main reasons for the fluctuation of the bacterial dominant species. Further investigation demonstrated that the abundance of variable microorganisms, including Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Patescibacteria, Armatimonadetes, Subgroups_ 6, Bacillus and Bacillus_ Acidiceler, was also significantly changed in Cd-contaminated soil. All these alterations could contribute to the reduction of the Cd content and, thus, the increase of the biomass and the content of the main secondary metabolites (matrine and oxymatrine) in Sophora. Our research demonstrated that the co-application of biochar and organic fertilizer has the potential to enhance soil health and increase the productivity and quality of plants by regulating the microorganisms in Cd-contaminated soil.

[Overview of research and development of polypeptide drugs and traditional Chinese medicine-peptides].

Peptide is a compound consisting of 2-50 amino acids, which is intermediate between small molecule and protein. It is characterized by a variety of biological activities, easy absorption, strong specific targeting, and few side effects and has become one of the hotspots in biomedical research in recent years. Chinese medicine contains a large number of peptides. The traditional processing methods such as decocting and boiling can effectively boost peptides to exert their due biological activities. At present, however, the research on Chinese medicinal components in laboratory generally employs high-concentration alcohol extraction method, which may cause the peptides to be ignored in many natural Chinese medicines. Substantial studies have revealed that the peptides in Chinese medicine are important material basis responsible for the traditional efficacy. Based on years of research and literature retrieval, this study put forward the concept of "traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)-peptides", referring to the components consisting of two or more amino acids with molecular weight between small molecules and proteins that can express the efficacy of Chinese medicine. Furthermore, this study also summarized the extraction and separation of TCM-peptides, and structure determination methods and routes, predicted the research prospect of modern research methods of TCM-peptides based on "holistic view" and big data. The artificial intelligence prediction was combined with high-throughput screening technology to improve the discovery efficiency and accuracy of TCM-peptides, and holographic images between TCM-peptides and biological targets were established to provide references for the innovative drug design and related health product development of TCM-peptides based on TCM theories.

Structure of a new glycyrrhiza polysaccharide and its immunomodulatory activity.

A component of licorice polysaccharide (GPS-1) was extracted from licorice, its primary structure was identified and characterized for the first time, and its immunomodulatory activity was studied. Crude licorice polysaccharide was isolated and purified by DEAE sepharose FF ion-exchange column chromatography and Chromdex 200 PG gel filtration column chromatography to obtain a purified Glycyrrhiza polysaccharide named GPS-1. NMR and methylation analysis revealed that GPS-1 is composed of homogalacturonan (HG)-type pectin with 4)-D-GalpA-(1 as the backbone. This study of GPS-1 also examined its significant role in regulating immune activity in vitro and in vivo. As a result, GPS-1 promoted the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4 in mice and increased the proportion of CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T lymphocytes in their spleens. Dendritic cells (DCs) treated with GPS-1 showed promotion of DC maturation, antigen presentation, and phagocytic capacity. The results suggest that GPS-1 is a potential immunomodulator that stimulates the immune system by regulating multiple signaling pathways. Combined with our characterization of the primary structure of GPS-1, the present investigation provides the basis for future study of the form-function relationship of polysaccharides.

Characteristics and comparative analysis of Mesona chinensis Benth chloroplast genome reveals DNA barcode regions for species identification.

Mesona chinensis Benth (MCB) is an important medicinal and edible plant in Southern China and Southeast Asian countries. Chloroplast (cp) genome is usually used for plant phylogeny, species identification, and chloroplast genetic engineering. To characterize the cp genome and determine the evolutionary position and perform the genetic diversity analysis of MCB, we sequence and characterize the MCB cp genome. The results show that the cp genome of MCB is a single circular molecule with a length of 152,635 bp. It is a typical quadripartite structure, comprising a large single-copy region (LSC, 83,514 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 17,751 bp) separated by two inverted repeat regions (IRs, 51,370 bp). It encodes 129 unique genes, including 84 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 37 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and 8 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). Altogether 127 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are identified in the MCB cp genome with 86.61% of mononucleotide repeats. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that MCB is most closely related to Ocimum basilicum based on the whole cp genomes. Several highly divergent regions are found, such as trnH_psbA, rps16_trnQ, trnS_trnG, trnE_trnT, psaA_ycf3, rpl32_trnL, ccsA_ndhD, ndhG_ndhI, and rps15_ycf1, which can be proposed for use as DNA barcode regions. Genetic diversity analysis unveils a relatively narrow genetic basis of MCB germplasm resources. Therefore, the innovative breeding of MCB is very urgent and necessary in future research.

Physio-Morphological, Biochemical and Transcriptomic Analyses Provide Insights Into Drought Stress Responses in Mesona chinensis Benth.

Drought stress affects the normal growth and development of Mesona chinensis Benth (MCB), which is an important medicinal and edible plant in China. To investigate the physiological and molecular mechanisms of drought resistance in MCB, different concentrations of polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000) (0, 5, 10, and 15%) were used to simulate drought conditions in this study. Results showed that the growth of MCB was significantly limited under drought stress conditions. Drought stress induced the increases in the contents of Chla, Chlb, Chla + b, soluble protein, soluble sugar, and soluble pectin and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Transcriptome analysis revealed 3,494 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (1,961 up-regulated and 1,533 down-regulated) between the control and 15% PEG6000 treatments. These DEGs were identified to be involved in the 10 metabolic pathways, including "plant hormone signal transduction," "brassinosteroid biosynthesis," "plant-pathogen interaction," "MAPK signaling pathway-plant," "starch and sucrose metabolism," "pentose and glucuronate interconversions," "phenylpropanoid biosynthesis," "galactose metabolism," "monoterpenoid biosynthesis," and "ribosome." In addition, transcription factors (TFs) analysis showed 8 out of 204 TFs, TRINITY_DN3232_c0_g1 [ABA-responsive element (ABRE)-binding transcription factor1, AREB1], TRINITY_DN4161_c0_g1 (auxin response factor, ARF), TRINITY_DN3183_c0_g2 (abscisic acid-insensitive 5-like protein, ABI5), TRINITY_DN28414_c0_g2 (ethylene-responsive transcription factor ERF1b, ERF1b), TRINITY_DN9557_c0_g1 (phytochrome-interacting factor, PIF3), TRINITY_DN11435_c1_g1, TRINITY_DN2608_c0_g1, and TRINITY_DN6742_c0_g1, were closely related to the "plant hormone signal transduction" pathway. Taken together, it was inferred that these pathways and TFs might play important roles in response to drought stress in MCB. The current study provided important information for MCB drought resistance breeding in the future.

The complete chloroplast genome of Scoparia dulcis (Plantaginaceae).

Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome of Scoparia dulcis L. The genome is 153,701 bp in size. Two inverted repeats (IRs) with a total of 50,546 bp were identified. The rest of the sequence was separated into two single-copy regions, including a large single-copy (LSC) region (85,029 bp) and a small single-copy (SSC) region (18,126 bp), respectively. The genome of S. dulcis comprised of 129 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 36 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that S. dulcis was strongly allied with Bacopa monnieri.

Radix paeoniae alba polysaccharide attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal injury by regulating gut microbiota.

Accumulating evidence indicated that oxidative stress is closely related to inflammation and the progression of multiple chronic diseases, which seriously threaten the host health. Currently, multiple plant-derived polysaccharides have been demonstrated to ameliorate the negative effects of oxidative stress on the host, but the potential protective effect of radix paeoniae alba polysaccharide (RPAP) on host have not been well characterized. Here, we investigated whether different doses of RPAP administration could alleviate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal injury and gut microbial dysbiosis in mice. Results indicated that RPAP administration effectively alleviated LPS-induced intestinal damage in dose dependent. Additionally, amplicon sequencing showed that RPAP administration reversed the significant decrease in gut microbial diversity caused by LPS exposure and restored the alpha-diversity indices to normal levels. Microbial taxonomic investigation also indicated that LPS exposure resulted in significant changes in the gut microbial composition, characterized by a decrease in the abundances of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus, Alistipes, Bacillus, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, etc.) and an increase in the contents of pathogenic bacteria (Klebsiella, Helicobacter, Enterococcus, etc.). However, RPAP administration, especially in high doses, could improve the composition of the gut microbiota by altering the abundance of some bacteria. Taken together, this study demonstrated that RPAP administration could ameliorate LPS-induced intestinal injury by regulating gut microbiota. Meanwhile, this also provides the basis for the popularization and application of RPAP and alleviating oxidative stress from the perspective of gut microbiota.

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes and Pathways Involved in Growth and Development of Mesona chinensis Benth Under Red- and Blue-Light Conditions.

Mesona chinensis Benth (MCB) is an important Chinese herbal medicine. The plant factories might be one of the ways to solve the shortage of MCB supply. In this study, the MCB seedlings were treated under the red (R) and blue (B) lights in the plant factory. Results showed that the red light promoted the growth and development of MCB in comparison with the blue light. Under the red-light condition, the biomass, plant height, and root characteristics were significantly higher than those under blue-light condition, while the soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) under the red-light treatment was significantly lower than that under the blue-light treatment. Red light also significantly promoted the content of soluble sugar and pectin of MCB compared with blue light. Transcriptome analysis showed that a total of 4,165 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected including 2,034 upregulated and 2,131 downregulated. Of these, 1,112 DEGs including 410 upregulated and 702 downregulated genes were associated with 111 pathways. Moreover, a total of 8,723 differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) were identified in R vs. B, and these TFs were distributed in 56 gene families. Metabonomic results revealed that a total of 184 metabolites and 99 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) (42 upregulated and 57 downregulated) were identified in the red- and blue-light treatments. Integrative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome unveiled that a total of 24 pathways included 70 compounds (metabolites) and were associated with 28 unigenes. In particular, these pathways included starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, cysteine and methionine metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and pentose and glucuronate interconversions. The unigenes included asparagine synthetase (AS), thymidine kinase (TK), alpha, alpha-trehalose-phosphate synthase (TPS), phosphatase IMPL1 (IMPL1), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (D4R), and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase-like 6 (4CL6), bifunctional aspartokinase-homoserine dehydrogenase 1 (thrA), and abscisic acid 8'-hydroxylase 2 isoform X1 (ABA8). It was indicated that these pathways and genes might play important roles in the growth and development of MCB. This study laid a foundation for the future research of MCB.

Integrated transcriptome and small RNA sequencing analyses reveal a drought stress response network in Sophora tonkinensis.

BACKGROUND: Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep is a traditional Chinese medical plant that is mainly cultivated in southern China. Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that negatively impacts S. tonkinensis growth. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the responses to drought stress in S. tonkinensis at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels are not well understood. RESULTS: To identify genes and miRNAs involved in drought stress responses in S. tonkinensis, both mRNA and small RNA sequencing was performed in root samples under control, mild drought, and severe drought conditions. mRNA sequencing revealed 66,476 unigenes, and the differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) were associated with several key pathways, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, sugar metabolism, and quinolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis pathways. A total of 10 and 30 transcription factors (TFs) were identified among the DEGs under mild and severe drought stress, respectively. Moreover, small RNA sequencing revealed a total of 368 miRNAs, including 255 known miRNAs and 113 novel miRNAs. The differentially expressed miRNAs and their target genes were involved in the regulation of plant hormone signal transduction, the spliceosome, and ribosomes. Analysis of the regulatory network involved in the response to drought stress revealed 37 differentially expressed miRNA-mRNA pairs. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to simultaneously profile the expression patterns of mRNAs and miRNAs on a genome-wide scale to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the drought stress responses of S. tonkinensis. Our results suggest that S. tonkinensis implements diverse mechanisms to modulate its responses to drought stress.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Lonicera similis (Caprifoliaceae).

The complete chloroplast genome of Lonicera similis Hemsl. has been characterized by reference-based assembly using Illumina paired-end data. The circular complete cp genome is 155,463 bp in length, containing a large single copy (LSC) region of 89,282 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,661 bp, which are separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 23,760 bp. A total of 129 genes were predicted from the cp genome, including 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that L. similis is more closely related to Lonicera japonica Thunb. and Lonicera dasystyla Rehd. Our result will provide a reference for the phylogenetic relationship, plant identification and resource development and utilization of Lonicera species.

High-Throughput In Vitro Gene Expression Profile to Screen of Natural Herbals for Breast Cancer Treatment.

Breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Some therapeutic drugs and approaches could cause side effects and weaken the immune system. The combination of conventional therapies and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) significantly improves treatment efficacy in breast cancer. However, the chemical composition and underlying anti-tumor mechanisms of TCM still need to be investigated. The primary aim of this study is to provide unique insights to screen the natural components for breast cancer therapy using high-throughput transcriptome analysis. Differentially expressed genes were identified based on two conditions: single samples and groups were classified according to their pharmaceutical effect. Subsequently, the sample treated with E. cochinchinensis Lour. generated the most significant DEGs set, including 1,459 DEGs, 805 upregulated and 654 downregulated. Similarly, group 3 treatment contained the most DEGs (414 DEGs, 311 upregulated and 103 downregulated). KEGG pathway analyses showed five significant pathways associated with the inflammatory and metastasis processes in cancer, which include the TNF, IL-17, NF-kappa B, MAPK signaling pathways, and transcriptional misregulation in cancer. Samples were classified into 13 groups based on their pharmaceutical effects. The results of the KEGG pathway analyses remained consistent with signal samples; group 3 presents a high significance. A total of 21 genes were significantly regulated in these five pathways, interestingly, IL6, TNFAIP3, and BRIC3 were enriched on at least two pathways, seven genes (FOSL1, S100A9, CXCL12, ID2, PRS6KA3, AREG, and DUSP6) have been reported as the target biomarkers and even the diagnostic tools in cancer therapy. In addition, weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify 18 modules. Among them, blue and thistle2 were the most relevant modules. A total of 26 hub genes in blue and thistle2 modules were identified as the hub genes. In conclusion, we screened out three new TCM (R. communis L., E. cochinchinensis Lour., and B. fruticosa) that have the potential to develop natural drugs for breast cancer therapy, and obtained the therapeutic targets.